Editors' Review

PDF files are a common format for most businesses today. However, altering and creating fresh PDFs remains a mystery for many people. PDFill PDF Tools hopes to make this process simpler with a number of options, but the busy interface may overwhelm less experienced users.

This freeware program has a cluttered interface that will take some studying and experimentation to master. However, all the elements serve a purpose, and many will look familiar to those who have used a word-processing program. The screen looks very much like Microsoft Word's display, with a ruler running down the side and familiar buttons for saving, creating, printing, and fonts along the top. Along the left side are a string of icons with tools for creating PDF-specific tools like check boxes, drop-down menus, radio buttons, and more. The right side of the screen features icons that help give PDFs a professional sheen, by sizing and balancing the page with various tools. Along the bottom are still more buttons; these allow users to do everything from drawing text boxes, highlighting text, or even adding videos.

PDFill allows users to alter existing PDFs or create documents from scratch. One of its most unique aspects is the helpful hints. When our test PDF opened, it contained no fillable fields and offered to show us how to create them. Boxes pop up regularly throughout and offer other helpful hints.

The only negative is PDFill's crowded interface. With all four sides covered in buttons, it can get overwhelming. However, with a little practice we think that anyone can create and alter PDFs using this excellent download.

(1) Merge or Combine two or more PDF files into a single PDF file; (2) Split, Extract, Reorder or Delete PDF pages from a PDF file into a new file. (3) Encrypt or Decrypt PDF documents with 40 or 128 bit Encryption and options. (4) Rotate a PDF page by 0, 90, 180 and 270 degree. Crop a page to modify its layout of Print or View by specifying its margins. (5) Put multiple pages into one page to save paper and inks when printing hard copies with note lines for handout. (6) Add Headers and Footers to present information, such as date, time, page numbers, or the title of the document, in the top or bottom margins of a document. (7) Add stamp using a formatted text in your international language. (8) Add Stamp using image file (bmp, jpg, gif, png, tiff, and wmf). (9) Convert images (bmp, jpg, gif, png, tiff, and wmf) into a PDF file with layout options. (10) Convert PDF pages into images (png, jpg, bmp and tiff) with DPI options. (11) Delete, Flatten or List the PDF Form Fields inside a PDF file. (12) Convert Postscript file into PDF. (13) Add information (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Created, Creator, Producer and Version) to the PDF document. (14) Scan your Paper Form or Photo into images (PNG, JPG, BMP, TIF and GIF) or PDF. (15) Create a transparent image with options to adjust transparency options.

It's FREE! For personal AND commercial use!
It allows so much manipulation of PDF files including splitting, merging, deleting and rotating individual pages.
I use this every week at work, and it saves me so much time and money - for example if I wanted to only send a part of a PDF to someone, I used to have to print out the whole PDF and then scan back in what I wanted to send, with the ensuing loss of quality as well. But with this program, I can edit my PDF very quickly and for free. It is indispensable as far as I am concerned. I recommend it to everyone I know.
And I am nothing to do with the publisher - I just LOVE this program!

Cons

Some of the instructions leave a little to be desired, but it is easy enough to work out how to get it to do what you want.

Summary

EVERYONE (in my opinion) should download this in case the publishers realise how useful it is and decide to start charging for it - it is that good that it would be worth paying for (and you have no idea how much it hurts me to say that - I am a right tight wad!)

Pretty fast, accurate, great quality images when converting from pdf to jpg. I wish I wasn't so poor I'd love to donate and support this software I use it for work currently.

Cons

Really? It's free! But if I have to say anything bad maybe just need a progress bar when convert from pdf to jpg. But again it's free and unless I'm a paying customer I don't feel I have the right to make any con's.

"Prints" files to PDF or images (in a lot of different formats.)
Converts PDF to images and vice versa.
Edits PDF.
Fills forms in PDFs , creates PDFs with form fields.
Can use it to strip form fields out of a PDF so I can fill it the way I want (font, additional notes, whatever.)
Removes or inserts or reorders pages in PDFs.
Encrypts/decrypts PDFs. Your reader can decrypt with the password/pin you provide them.
This and Irfanview are the must-have utility programs I put on every machine I work on.
I use it to "print" from a document I created to get an image for business cards or letterhead or whatever.
I have rarely (maybe twice) needed support, but both time I had my answer within a couple of hours.
This program has stayed in active development as long as I have owned it.
A one-time purchase makes you eligible for upgrades for the rest of your life.

Cons

I just don't know any.
Oh, sometimes it makes mistakes in super-complicated MS Word files when I have created a document with every feature in the book. However MS Word can often (not always) can save them as PDFs. If PDFill can't do it, then I usually have to take a screenshot and crop and save it that way.

Summary

The three programs are a suite, that work together to do anything you want with PDF files. I have used this program for YEARS. Maybe 15 years? Over 12, for sure. Definitely the best $20 I ever spent on software. The multi user license I purchased for work was reasonable also. I use it daily.

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